We continue our position-by-position breakdown of the New Orleans Saints roster with a look at the interior offensive linemen. Make sure and vote for which of these guys will win starting jobs and who will make the 53-man roster.

Michael DeMocker/The Times-PicayuneJahri Evans has been a solid blocker for the New Orleans Saints.

We'll put the position series on hiatus for a day on Thursday as we bring you live updates and observations from the Saints' OTAs (offseason training activities). This will be the first full-team practice session opened to the media this year, so there's plenty of news happening.

Both big men had some question marks heading into their NFL careers - Evans came from small school Bloomsburg, and Nicks had some character concerns coming out of Nebraska. But they both made immediate impacts in the NFL, and now the Saints appear to have a solid foundation in the middle of their offensive line for years to come (assuming they can re-up Evans before he becomes an unrestricted free agent). Evans will be unrestricted next year if the players and owners agree on a new collective bargaining agreement. Otherwise, the fourth-year pro will be a restricted free agent again.

Michael DeMocker/The Times-PicayuneCenter Jonathan Goodwin made a smooth transition into the starting position last season.

It's hard to shower these guys with too much praise, considering the Saints' inability to establish a power running game the past two years. But those struggles can be attributed to many factors, from the style of offense to the play-calling to the runners' performance to outside blockers who let linebackers sneak around the edge, etc. ... Evans and Nicks certainly have the right physical and athletic makeup to succeed as both run blockers and pass protectors in the NFL.

Goodwin was more solid than spectacular in his first year as the full-time starting center in 2008. But like the guards, he hardly deserves the blame for the interior running problems. Goodwin is a smart, well-respected veteran who knows this offense after spending the last three years in the system. Although he's certainly a drop-off from his predecessor, Jeff Faine, who bolted for big bucks in Tampa, Goodwin has a decent combination of size, power and athleticism that fits the Saints' versatile offense.

The Saints were hoping to find a young developmental center or guard in the draft, but they weren't able to find the right guy at the right price. In the meantime, they're not too worried about their depth this season. The top backups at guard and center - longtime Saint Nesbit and newcomer Leckey - are veterans with plenty of starting experience. Either guy can fill in without any noticeable drop-off in the case of injury or ineffectiveness.

Duckworth has been a mainstay on the Saints' practice squad the past two years, and he's earned the respect of coaches and teammates. So he's got a shot to make the active roster. Fletcher and Flanagan, two undrafted rookies this year, are long shots unless they can outshine Nesbit and/or Leckey in training camp and the preseason.